


Friends Don't Understand Me Anymore

by MiniSuga127



Category: NCT (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst but it's rly just crack if u look hard enough, Attempted Murder, Gen, Happy endings tho :), I torture them too much, Jealousy, NCT dream aren't idols in this, Oop forgot panic attacks, Revenge, Someone plz take txt away from me, The bad guy is an OC, They just normal ppl, They're Beomgyu's friends, Violence, friendships, hate comments, hella angst, idk how this happened, stalkers, um this was literally a fever dream, what kdrama is this XD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:40:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25321777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniSuga127/pseuds/MiniSuga127
Summary: “You didn't have to do that Hyung…”“I told you, Beomgyu. I'd take a bullet for you.”ORIt started with the hate comments. Beomgyu thought it was over when Soobin shut the hater up. But both of them would soon find out that that was just the beginning.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Friends Don't Understand Me Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> I rly need someone to remind me of my countless other wips whenever I try to post a new work😅😭  
> Not too happy with this one but hopefully it turned out ok😊

It all started one late Saturday night.

Most times, whenever Soobin noticed one of his members were acting strangely, he'd stay silent, not wanting to push them into telling him what was wrong. Still, he always kept an eye on them and eventually they did end up telling him what was bothering them.

But something about the way Beomgyu kept staring at his phone and frowning for the past few days made Soobin uneasy. The bad feeling didn't go away and Beomgyu didn't come to him.

Soobin kept an eye on him, taking note of whenever it happened.

The first time it had happened was a few weeks ago, when they were out with their sunbaenims.

Beomgyu had laughed out loud at a joke Seokjin had just told as they all dug into their ice cream. The evening was going smoothly and Beomgyu soon began to scroll through his phone and his smile slowly but surely dropped.

Soobin didn't know how to describe the expression that settled on his face, but the boy's face seemed at once, confused and concerned.

Soobin didn't know what to make of it, but he didn't bring it up.

The second time it happened was right before a pre recording. Beomgyu was busy taking selfies with Taehyun for a while, before the red haired boy left for a moment.

As Beomgyu sat waiting for him, he scrolled through his phone and the expression returned.

Soobin still didn't say anything, not wanting to bother the boy.

But the third time it happened, Soobin couldn't hold back his concerned curiosity.

They'd just finished practice and everyone was sitting around and unwinding, and Beomgyu was back on his phone with that strange expression on his face.

And so, when everyone was walking back to the dorms, Soobin pulled Beomgyu back a little, asking him to keep pace with him.

Beomgyu frowned in confusion but obeyed.

Kai and Taehyun walked on ahead, oblivious, while Yeonjun spared the two a glance before understanding that Soobin was trying to talk to the boy in private, and took the maknaes further ahead.

“Hyung?”

Soobin glanced down at the confused boy and smiled, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“What's up, Beomgyu? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever.”

Beomgyu gave him an unimpressed glare and shoved his arm away.

“Cut the crap, Hyung. We just talked this morning. Tell me why you really pulled me aside.”

Soobin sighed and glanced at him once more.

“Just kinda worried about you…” He said carefully.

The confused expression returned as Soobin spoke.

“Worried? How come?” The boy sounded genuinely confused and Soobin wasn't sure how to approach the situation.

But he went ahead and told him exactly what was bothering him.

“Ah, that…” Beomgyu said, dropping his gaze once Soobin had explained. “It's really nothing, Hyung. Just this guy… He keeps sending hate comments my way…”

“Hmm.” Soobin hummed. 

This is what he had been worried about. Taehyun had once gone through the same thing and it made him really sad. Soobin didn't want the same thing to happen again and he was glad he decided to say something rather than wait for the boy to break down and tell him once it was already too much.

“You know you shouldn't pay attention to those, right?” Soobin said, softly.

Beomgyu glanced up, his eyes wide, and immediately began shaking his head hurriedly.

“Ah, don't worry, I'm not sad or anything because of it .” He said, hurriedly, a reassuring smile on his face. “It's just… He seems to know a lot about me for a hater and he keeps showing up on my social media for some reason…”

Soobin frowned slightly.

“Maybe he's a stalker?” He wondered.

“Maybe…” Beomgyu said, not sounding too convinced.

“Hmm, well…” Soobin said, walking ahead. “Tell me if he says anything again, ok?”

“Will do, Hyung.” Beomgyu said, smiling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Things got quiet for the next few weeks. According to Beomgyu, the hater just vanished after a few days. Soobin wasn't sure if he believed him at first, but seeing as he was no longer frowning at his phone, Soobin decided there was nothing to worry about.

But it was a few weeks later when Soobin caught Beomgyu glaring at his phone with such rage that he actually took a step back.

He definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of that glare. 

He also wasn't sure if he wanted to ask what had made him so mad.

But once the other boys had left the practice room for some fresh air, Soobin decided to approach the boy.

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

Beomgyu couldn't believe his eyes.

It had been just a few weeks after the whole “stalker” business and Beomgyu was glad whoever it was had vanished.

But out of nowhere, in the middle of a night out with his members, his phone buzzed.

He had ignored it at the time, not wanting to interrupt the fun he was having with his friends.

But on the way back, he'd pulled out his phone and frowned upon seeing a text from an unknown number.

  
  


**Unknown:** hey Beomgyu! What's up? It's been so long!

  
  


Whoever it was apparently seemed to have known him at some point and it was the wording more than anything that piqued his curiosity and made him text back.

  
  


**Me:** who is this?

**Unknown:** guess! We used to go to school together!

  
  


Beomgyu wracked his brain for all his school friends. He remembered a lot of their names but hadn't been keeping in touch with them for some time. 

  
  


**Me:** I can't rmbr 

**Unknown:** oh that's too bad. We did everything together. It's me, Nam Seojun!

  
  


Beomgyu frowned slightly. The name rang a bell and he definitely remembered the boy now, but he thought it was a stretch to say that they'd done everything together. Most times he was pretty sure the boy only hung out with him because Beomgyu was popular. But of course, he couldn't be sure.

He also wasn't sure why the boy would be texting him now, but Beomgyu decided to humor him.

  
  


**Me:** oh Ya! I rmbr u. 

**Unknown:** rly? Damn I'm touched. Do you talk to any of the others?

  
  


This time, Beomgyu knew exactly who Seojun was talking about. There were six boys he'd always hang out with and they were the nicest people he'd ever met, second only to his own members. He had no idea where they were now and he hoped they were doing well.

  
  


**Me:** nah super busy these days. Do u know where they at?

**Unknown:** oh Ya, I meet up w them sometimes. They're doing well.

  
  


Beomgyu glanced up slightly, noticing that they had arrived at the dorm. 

  
  


**Me:** oh that's nice. Anywho, Seojun this was nice. We'll talk later, I gtg

**Unknown:** ah ok. Bye! Ttyl

  
  


Beomgyu shut off his phone and climbed out of the car with the others.

He didn't think much about the strange reappearance of his friend. He didn't mind catching up with an old friend.

And the two of them texted a lot after that day.

Things were going well and the two even planned to meet soon.

That is, until Seojun said something that completely shocked Beomgyu.

He was in the practice room and Yeonjun and the maknaes had gone outside for a bit and Beomgyu was going to join him when the text from his friend froze him in his tracks.

  
  


**Seojun:** hey, how come u never responded to any of those hate comments?

**Me:** what hate comments?

**Seojun:** saw some hate comments that seemed kinda sus. Kinda thought u would take the bait and respond 

**Me:** wth? Why would I ever? Were u the one who sent those?

  
  


It made a lot of sense if that was the case. It would explain how the comments were strangely accurate about his past life.

  
  


**Seojun:** maybe it was me… so what? 

  
  


Beomgyu glared angrily down at his phone, unable to believe his eyes. Was he just messing right now? Or was it really him? Even if he was just messing around, hate comments were nothing to joke about.

  
  


**Me:** it was u… Y would u do smth like that?

**Seojun:** r u serious rn? Ur such a hypocrite. 

**Me:** wdym

**Seojun:** maybe I was the one who sent those comments. But I wasn't the one who decided to ditch all my friends when I became famous. That was u

  
  


Beomgyu was gripping the phone so hard, his hand had begun to shake. He knew he should probably feel some sort of guilt at the boy's accusation because it wasn't a lie. Even if he hadn't meant to, the busy schedules and numerous responsibilities had made him forget about his friends.

Still, he couldn't find it in him to feel bad, his blood still boiling from the fact that Seojun had done something like that.

He was so enraged that he didn't notice Soobin slowly creeping towards him. He only realized the boy was standing next to him when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Beomgyu?”

Beomgyu glanced up, locking eyes with Soobin's concerned ones. He sighed heavily, turning away slightly but Soobin held firm, shaking his head.

“Nope. You're gonna tell me what's up right now.” He said, a gentle firmness in his voice.

Beomgyu sighed once more, turning back around and facing his Hyung.

“Do you remember that hater that we thought was a stalker? Well, it turns out he's actually a friend of mine from back when I wasn't a trainee.” He said in a rush.

“Really?” Soobin asked, frowning.

“Yeah…” Beomgyu sighed. “He auditioned with me but didn't make it. I don't know where he is now, but he got my number somehow and we've been texting for a few days and this is what he just said.”

Beomgyu handed him the phone, watching his face as he scrolled through the texts. Soobin's confused expression slowly turned into one of rage as he read the texts. He began typing furiously making Beomgyu's eyes widen as he crept forward.

“W-what are you doing, Hyung?”

“Giving him a piece of my mind.” Soobin growled as he continued typing away.

Beomgyu frowned worriedly, but let Soobin continue. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see exactly what Soobin was saying to Seojun.

“Here.” Soobin handed Beomgyu his phone, smiling smugly.

Beomgyu's eyes widened more upon seeing what Soobin had texted. His mouth dropped open as he laughed in disbelief.

  
  


**Me:** Hey I'm Soobin. I'm sure uv heard of me. U seem awfully obsessed w Beomgyu and everything that has to do with him so I'm sure u know how busy his life can be. U wouldn't know how that feels since ur own life seems very pathetic if u have nothing better to do than bother Beomgyu. Uv lost the right to call urself a friend of his if the only way u can come up with to catch his attention is as malicious as those comments u sent. Don't ever talk to Beomgyu again and for ur own sake I hope we never have to see u in public

  
  


Soobin grinned at the way Beomgyu was laughing and glanced at the phone again.

“Oh! He responded!” Soobin exclaimed suddenly.

“Really?!”

Beomgyu immediately brought his attention back to the phone to see Seojun’s response.

  
  


**Seojun:** screw u and all ur members. U guys have changed beom into an attention loving hog. Don't worry I'd never want to talk to someone who has such little regard for his old friends. Hope I never have to see any of ur infuriating faces.

  
  


Beomgyu rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“He's just trying to throw shade now after he's already been humiliated.” Beomgyu said.

“Yup, how pathetic.” Soobin said, shaking his head and laughing.

Beomgyu smiled up at his Hyung and laughed along with him. He'd had no idea Soobin was hiding such a savage attitude underneath his charming smile and childlike eyes. Beomgyu thought he might even be able to beat Taehyun in a roast battle if he had to.

“I appreciate what you did, Hyung…” He said slowly. “But you really didn't have to.”

Soobin shook his head, waving away the thanks.

“I'd do anything for you, Beomgyu.” He said, simply.

“Anything?” Beomgyu asked, grinning.

Soobin nodded firmly.

“Mhm. Heck, I'd even take a bullet for you.”

Beomgyu burst into laughter at that.

“Alright, Hyung, calm down, we're not in a drama.” He said, giggling.

That set Soobin off into a dramatic rendition of their own song ‘Drama’. Beomgyu laughed and sang along with him for a bit before dissolving into laughter again.

“Anyways, Hyung. You said you'd do anything, right?” He asked, his eyes twinkling.

Soobin nodded, holding back a laugh as he knew what was coming next.

“Ice cream tonight?” Beomgyu asked, grinning.

Soobin sighed dramatically.

“Oh fine, ice cream it is.” He said, resigned.

Beomgyu let out a triumphant yell, jumping up and pumping his fist in the air.

“Hey, why’re y'all being so loud?”

Beomgyu turned to see that the others had returned to the practice room and he smiled brightly, running over to them.

“Soobin Hyung is treating us to ice cream tonight!”

“Ah, really?” Kai asked, eyes bright with excitement.

Soobin just sighed and smiled.

“Yup, I am!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Things quieted down again, but for some reason, Beomgyu couldn't shake the strange feeling of foreboding that had crept into his heart. Seojun hadn't texted him for about a month, but Beomgyu still felt like something bad was going to happen soon.

And even though Seojun had stopped texting him, the hate comments were still around, and they were more malicious and creepy than before.

Still, he tried to forget about it, not wanting to worry the others.

Soobin must have noticed that Beomgyu was feeling anxious because he suggested a movie night so they could relax a bit.

Beomgyu appreciated the gesture but it seemed that something always had to come along and ruin his mood.

The movie really wasn't making him feel any better so he decided to scroll through his phone aimlessly. Things were going ok for a bit, the comments from MOAs making him smile the slightest bit.

That is, until he found a strange comment under one of the selfies he had posted on Twitter.

The comment read something like, “saw u w ur sunbaes today. How does it feel knowing ull never be them? -S”

Seojun wanted Beomgyu to know it was him.

There were a bunch of comments from fans telling him to shut up and whatnot and while Beomgyu appreciated it, the comment still annoyed him.

Beomgyu and his team weren't trying to be their sunbaes, they were their own thing and he hated that people often thought they were using BTS for fame.

Still, he knew Seojun had more ulterior motives for his comment. He didn't care about that whole argument, he was just jealous of Beomgyu. Or maybe he actually did feel betrayed by him.

Beomgyu didn't know, but it just made the uneasy feeling come back stronger.

“Hey Hyung, pay attention to the movie.” Kai hissed from beside him.

Beomgyu hummed in response, putting his phone away but keeping his eyes down.

“Hey…” Kai whispered, his expression becoming worried. “Are you ok?”

“Hm?” Taehyun turned upon hearing the whispers. “What's wrong?”

Yeonjun glanced back at the maknaes, immediately pausing the movie when he saw Beomgyu's expression.

“Beomgyu? What's up?”

Beomgyu sighed and glanced over at Soobin, who nodded minutely.

“Um… Nothing's wrong really, just…”

And then everything came pouring out, starting from a few months ago when the hate comments first started, and then when Seojun had begun texting him, all the way to the comment he just saw now.

“I guess… I mean, I'm super annoyed and stuff but… I can't help thinking he's justified. I mean I did forget all about my friends and I feel guilty about it.”

“Feeling guilt is normal, Beomgyu.” Yeonjun said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But it's also not exactly your fault.”

“Hyung is right.” Taehyun said. “Your life is super busy now and you had to make a lot of sacrifices. His anger is also understandable but the way he's approaching the situation is not justified at all.”

“You should forget about him, Hyung.” Kai said. “He's not your friend if he just wants to make you feel guilty rather than try to be friends again.”

“Besides, he's a real asshole, if he didn't learn his lesson after what I said to him.” Soobin commented.

Yeonjun burst into laughter and punched the boy playfully.

“OK, but did Soobinnie really say that?” Yeonjun laughed.

Beomgyu grinned slightly as the two maknaes began laughing as well and praising their leader.

“I refuse to believe it. I need proof.” Taehyun claimed.

Beomgyu’s grin widened as he pulled up the old texts and showed them to the others.

Kai let out a screeching laugh as he fell backward.

“No way, Hyung! That's amazing!”

“That's our Soobinnie!”

“Might have to hand over my title of most savage member.”

Beomgyu smiled, the heavy feeling in his heart vanishing just like that. It almost reminded him of the time he spent in school with his old group of friends. Minus Seojun, of course. Beomgyu thought his old friends and his members would really hit it off if they ever met in person.

Little did he know, they'd all be meeting very soon. And not under the best circumstances.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ Beomgyu was sure he'd seen that boy before. _

_ The one who was currently walking in front of him right now. _

_ Glancing behind him, he frowned upon seeing his old school behind him. He looked down at himself, confused when he saw that he was wearing the school's uniform. _

_ Before he could try and figure out why he would be dreaming about his school life, someone collided with his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. _

_ Another boy that seemed familiar. _

_ “Sorry.” He said shortly, before running off to meet the first boy Beomgyu had seen. _

_ “Hey!” Beomgyu called out, running forward to catch up to the two. _

_ Both boys turned around and stared at him worriedly. _

_ “Jaemin? Renjun? Is it really you guys?” Beomgyu asked, staring at the faces of his old friends. _

_ Renjun stepped forward and gripped the boy's shoulders. _

_ “Beomgyu, you're in danger. Make sure you don't go near Seojun ok?” _

_ “What? What do you mean?” Beomgyu asked, confused. _

_ “He really hates you for some reason.” Jaemin said, solemnly. “We don't know what he's planning.” _

_ “Guys!” _

_ Beomgyu turned at the familiar voice, catching sight of another one of his friends. _

_ It was Haechan and the boy looked terrified. _

_ “Did you talk to him?!” He asked frantically. _

_ Beomgyu nodded slowly, fear slowly making its way into his heart. _

_ “Oh my God…” Haechan didn't speak for a bit, before locking eyes with Beomgyu. _

_ “He hasn't contacted us in ages, so we really don't know anything, but I think you should be fine as long as you don't interact anymore.” Haechan told him. _

_ “W-what do you mean? What's he gonna do?” _

_ “We really don't know, but even if you see us, don't come near us either. He might use us or something, we really don't know.” Renjun said. _

_ “We have to go now, Beom. Please stay safe.” _

_ “What? Wait!” _

_ Beomgyu tried desperately to run after the boys as they began walking away, but it was as if they vanished into thin air. Beomgyu turned, trying to find the other three from his old group, but all he could do was hear their voices. _

_ All six of them, telling him to be careful not to cross paths with Seojun or any of them. _

_ And that was it. _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Today's the day, you guys. I can feel it.”

Jaemin sighed from where he stood behind the counter of the convenience store he worked at. He watched wearily as Seojun paced around the store, grinning widely.

It had all started a few weeks ago when Seojun found him. At first, Jaemin had been ecstatic upon seeing his old friend. Seojun had fallen out of their lives after he had auditioned for Bighit and failed. They hadn't heard from him after that so Jaemin was really happy to see him again.

That excitement lasted all of two minutes before Seojun told him what he had been doing this whole time.

He had discovered that the store Jaemin worked at was really close to the TXT dorms.

He was convinced that Beomgyu would come by one day and that they should all be here when he does.

“Hey, wake up, Jisung! We don't have time to sleep.” Seojun said suddenly.

“Ugh, what are we even doing again?” Jisung asked, tiredly as Renjun hummed in agreement.

“We're gonna wait for him and then trap him in here and just… Talk to him and tell him why we're mad and how to fix it.”

“You mean tell him why  _ you're  _ mad.” Chenle muttered.

Seojun glared at the boy but said nothing.

Jaemin had a bad feeling about this whole thing. Seojun had apparently become very obsessed with Beomgyu and Jaemin didn't know what to make of it.

“Why are we even doing this again? Why don't we just leave him alone?” Jaemin asked carefully.

Seojun turned his glare on Jaemin.

“You wouldn't want your parents to lose their jobs, now would you?”

Jaemin flinched and dropped his gaze.

“That's what I thought.” Seojun said, grinning.

“How are you so sure he'll come today?” Jeno asked.

“Yeah, what if he doesn't come?” Haechan asked.

“Just a feeling.” Seojun said.

Jaemin glanced up again, sighing when he saw the malicious grin on the boy's face. As much as Jaemin missed Beomgyu and wanted to see him, he hoped with all his heart that he wouldn't show up that night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Beomgyu awoke with a small gasp, blinking a few times while his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

He frowned in confusion as he thought back to his dream.

Had it just been a dream? Or was it his subconscious trying to tell him something?

It made sense he'd dream something like that about Seojun, considering the fact that he was feeling very threatened by the boy lately.

But what about the appearance of the rest of his old friends? Beomgyu didn't know what to make of that.

He shook his head, deciding there was no point trying to decipher the dream and slowly sat up.

He might as well get some water and try going back to sleep.

He slowly crept out of his room and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water.

“Beom?”

Beomgyu turned at the soft voice of his Hyung and smiled to see the purple haired boy rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“What are you doing up?” Soobin asked.

“Had a weird dream.” Beomgyu told him.

“Oh? About what?” 

Beomgyu quickly explained the strange events from his dream, watching as Soobin frowned slightly.

“Hmm, makes sense to have a dream like that. But your friends…”

“That's what I was thinking.” Beomgyu said.

“Well, it's best not to think about it for now. I'm sure it was nothing. Just don't interact with Seojun and if you ever see him, make sure you leave that place right away. He seems a little too fixated on you and it's a bit concerning.”

Beomgyu nodded, letting out a small sigh. He tried not to let it show, but this entire situation was stressing him out.

“Hey…” Soobin said softly.

Beomgyu glanced up to see a small and mischievous smile on the boy's face.

“What?” He asked slowly.

“Are you hungry?” 

“Hm, a little.” Beomgyu said after a bit.

“There's this convenience store close by. I can wake the others and we can all go get slushies and some ramen. What do you say?”

“Without telling our manager?!” Beomgyu whispered dramatically.

Soobin's mischievous smile only grew as he nodded.

“Sometimes you just gotta do things, kiddo. YOLO.” He said as he went back to wake the others.

Beomgyu grinned slightly as he followed his Hyung back to the rooms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Soobin Hyung is getting rebellious.” Taehyun said as the five boys walked to the store in the chilly night air.

Yeonjun laughed as he nodded in agreement to the statement.

“You're right. I like this side of him.” Yeonjun said.

“We should do this more often.” Kai voiced.

“Now listen here, you guys.” Soobin said, turning around to face the boys. “This is a one time thing. We're only doing this to cheer Beomgyu up.”

“Ah, there's our leader.” Beomgyu said, grinning.

“Aw, too bad. I was looking forward to doing this more.” Kai said.

“Y'all are acting like this is the first time we've done something like this.” Soobin said laughing.

“Isn't it?” Kai asked.

“Nope.” Soobin said, shaking his head. “Remember? We did this so much when we were trainees.”

“Ah, right.”

“Things were busier back then. How did we get time?” Taehyun said, thoughtfully.

“Well, management was less strict for one.” Yeonjun said.

“Mhm. And also we weren't famous back then. We're idols now. We can't just wander around outside without anyone knowing.” Soobin paused for a second. “Maybe this wasn't a good idea…”

“Ah, don't worry, Binnie.” Yeonjun said, coming forward and throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“Hyung will protect all of you.”

Taehyun grinned slightly, punching him playfully.

“You can't even protect yourself Hyung!”

“Hey!” Yeonjun said, pouting in offense.

“Ah, quit your whining, Hyung.” Kai said, walking ahead as the store came into view.

“You know he's right. Besides, we're here now!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Despite already deciding what they were going to get, Beomgyu was sure that the five of them had somehow managed to rob the whole store.

Beomgyu had to admit, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed, laughing and smiling as the five of them grabbed anything and everything they set their mind to.

But underneath it all was that underlying sense of foreboding that still hadn't gone away. 

It was just them in the store but for some reason Beomgyu got the strange feeling that they were being watched.

Still, he tried to ignore the feeling and he was doing a pretty good job until they got to the counter to buy their stuff.

The boy behind the counter looked like he was deliberately avoiding eye contact with them. He looked nervous and afraid and Beomgyu knew it wasn't any of his business but he wanted to ask if he was ok.

Maybe he had been staring for far too long, because the boy suddenly glanced up and that's when Beomgyu’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Jaemin?” He asked.

The boy didn't respond, but he stopped whatever he was doing to stare at Beomgyu in surprise.

“Is it really you?” Beomgyu asked uncertainly.

He was acutely aware of the way his members were staring at him. Soobin had told them about his dream before they left and Beomgyu knew they were probably thinking the same thing as him.

Was it a coincidence?

“You…” The boy whispered.

He dropped his gaze momentarily, a confused expression in his face. The more Beomgyu stared at him, the more he was convinced that he was really Jaemin.

He hadn't changed a bit, other than his features maturing a bit. But Beomgyu could still see the boy he became friends with.

It made him wonder where the others were.

“You recognize me?” The boy, now confirmed to be Jaemin, asked. 

Beomgyu didn't understand why he was so confused. He was about to respond and tell him that  _ yes _ he did recognize the boy, why wouldn't he? But before he could get a word out, a loud voice cut him off.

“Jaemin, hit the lights!”

Jaemin let out a small gasp, eyes darting nervously to the left, before he shook himself from his trance and obediently switched off the lights, plunging everyone into darkness.

Beomgyu blinked in confusion as he stepped back.

_ What's happening? _

_ Why does that voice sound so familiar? _

Before Beomgyu could think about it any longer, the slightly familiar voice came back.

“Lock the doors!” The voice commanded.

Beomgyu heard Jaemin’s frantic steps as he obeyed whoever was speaking. Suddenly, he heard more footsteps than he should and his eyes widened.

“Beomgyu! Where are you!?” He heard Soobin shout.

“I'm he- AAH!” Beomgyu let out a startled yelp as he felt an arm wrap around his neck suddenly, firm enough to immobilize him but still allow him to breath.

Beomgyu struggled futilely, trying to get free but whoever had trapped him had a strong grip.

They let him struggle for a bit before using their other hand to hold both of Beomgyu's arms behind him.

Beomgyu sighed, letting his eyes adjust and gasping in surprise when he saw that all his members had also been trapped in a similar way as him.

But what shocked him more was the faces of the people who had trapped them. It only took him a few seconds to recognize the faces of his other friends and it shook him to his core.

“Jisung? Haechan? Guys? What the heck? Let us go.” He said, confusion obvious in his voice.

But the boys didn't respond, only dropped their gazes guiltily.

Beomgyu sighed frustratedly and was just about to start struggling again when soft footsteps began making their way towards them.

Beomgyu lifted his head and let out a surprised gasp as his eyes settled on another familiar face.

“Choi Beomgyu…” Seojun said, grinning slightly.

“Seojun…” Beomgyu whispered in disbelief.

Seojun's smile widened as he locked eyes with Beomgyu's shocked ones.

“It's been a while, hasn't it?”

Beomgyu frowned, glaring at the boy. He really had taken this too far. Beomgyu had no idea why he was so obsessed with him, but this had to stop.

“Let us go.” He growled.

But Seojun just grinned in amusement as he stepped closer to Beomgyu.

“Let you go? But you're a friend, Beomgyu.” Seojun said slowly. “I don't let friends go so easily… But you wouldn't know anything about that now would you? You let us go so easily…”

“What do you mean?” Beomgyu said, irritated. The more he talked, the more it annoyed Beomgyu.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Seojun said, the first hint of anger in his voice as he glared at Beomgyu. “Did we really mean nothing to you? What's even worse is how you pretended to care about us, supporting us in anything and everything, only to completely forget about us when you debuted!”

Seojun paused for a second, staring at Beomgyu with a look of betrayal.

“You know what I've always wanted?” He whispered, regret lacing his voice.

Beomgyu didn't respond, only stared at him warily.

“A brother.” He said, finally. “We both had the same dream, Beomgyu. And when we practiced late all those nights… I thought I'd found a brother in you… But you passed the audition and I didn't. And you didn't even talk to me once after that. You didn't talk to any of us.”

“It's not-”

“Not your fault, yeah?” Seojun asked, the anger coming back. “Well, I say it is. It's your responsibility to make time for us, I don't care if you're busy.”

“Well, it's your responsibility to be understanding!” Beomgyu said. “This is such a ridiculous conversation, you have no idea. Even if you did feel like I was ignoring you, is this really the way? Did you really have to trap us like this? Are you seriously insane?”

Seojun's expression twisted into absolute fury. The next thing he did confirmed Beomgyu's suspicion that the boy was crazy.

“You're so full of it, you know that?” He hissed, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a gun and aiming it at him.

Beomgyu gasped, his eyes widening. He wouldn't… Would he?

“Fame over friendship, huh? That's what you think? Well, killing you ought to make me famous. Since you've thrown away our friendship, I'll have no regrets doing the same. Even if it is in a more extreme way…” He grinned at that and continued. “Because killing a friendship is worse than killing a traitor, Beomgyu.”

Beomgyu didn't even have time to close his eyes before the deafening bang of a gunshot echoed throughout the night. That's why he was so confused as to how he could possibly have missed what was happening right next to him.

But in the split second between the moment Seojun stopped speaking to when he pulled the trigger, Soobin who was standing next to him had somehow managed to thrust his elbow into his perpetrator’s stomach and free himself.

Beomgyu must have blinked or something, because he sure as hell didn't remember how Soobin got in front of him, or even  _ why  _ he would do such a thing.

Because seriously,  _ why? _

_ Why would he put his life in danger for me? _

Beomgyu didn't even register the scream that left his mouth as Soobin's body jerked backwards from the impact of the bullet. He didn't even realize that whoever had been holding him up had let him go, leaving his numb body to fall to the floor along with Soobin's. He didn't even realize that another fight was unfolding above him.

All he could do was stare at his Hyung who was currently bleeding out on the floor.

Soobin's eyes were squeezed shut, his teeth clenched as strained breaths left him.

“Hyung…” Beomgyu whispered, silent tears streaming down his face.

But Soobin didn't respond, only groaned in pain as he held shaking hands up to the wound in his chest, trying to stem the bleeding.

“Hyung…” Beomgyu said again, desperate for a response. “Hyung,  _ why? _ ”

Soobin slowly cracked open his eyes and tried to focus on Beomgyu's face.

“W-what else would I have done? Leave you to… D-die?” Soobin whispered.

“ _ Yes.” _ Beomgyu hissed, gripping Soobin's arm tightly.

“How would I… Live with myself then…? Don't worry, Beom… I'd do it again in a heartbeat…”

“You didn't have to do that Hyung.” Beomgyu cried, shutting his eyes tightly, unable to stare at his Hyung's face twisted in pain.

“I told you, Beomgyu… I'd take a bullet for you…” Soobin whispered.

That only made the tears come harder and Beomgyu couldn't take it anymore. He stumbled to his feet, ready to give Seojun a piece of his mind when he saw that he was already getting beat up by his members and his friends.

“Get off me!” Seojun yelled, brandishing the gun.

The boys backed off momentarily, but still glared at him furiously.

“What the heck, Seojun!?” Jisung yelled. “Why did you shoot!? We never agreed to this!”

“Why did you even have a gun in the first place?!” Renjun yelled.

“We never should have agreed to this.” Haechan said angrily.

“ _ I  _ never should've trusted you guys with this. You're all weak. You deserve to be ditched by all your so-called friends.” Seojun said.

And with that, he took off running and left the store.

Beomgyu sank back down to the floor, his hearing muffled and his mind unfocused as he stared at his Hyung's face once more.

Soobin was unconscious now and the bleeding still hadn't stopped.

He vaguely registered his members crowding around the two of them, crying and screaming and calling out to both him and Soobin.

Beomgyu couldn't respond even if he tried.

He barely noticed when Jaemin was shouting into his phone, relaying the address to the police so they could send an ambulance.

His Hyung's words echoed in his head.

It had seemed like a joke at the time, a seemingly trivial situation that would never come to pass.

Beomgyu could only wish it was a dream.

But when he really thought about it, he realized if he had been in Soobin's position, he would have done the same thing.

They protected each other.

But Beomgyu would never forgive himself if Soobin didn't come out of this alive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Beomgyu knew there must be a lot happening around him but for some reason he couldn't get his brain to focus on it.

All he could was shake uncontrollably, clasping his blood stained hands in his lap and stare out into space.

He vaguely registered his members surrounding him, also trembling from the shock. Yeonjun was desperately trying to get himself under control and hold the three maknaes the best he could as they sat in the waiting room.

Beomgyu really tried so hard not to think about what had happened but no matter what he did the terrifying images wouldn't stop flashing in his head.

Soobin's pale face, Seojun holding the gun, the blood slowly leaving his Hyung's body.

And even more terrifying thoughts… 

Soobin leaving them for good, their group being broken apart, all the heartbroken fans.

He tried so hard but the thoughts took him over, making his chest tighten and eyes tear up.

A loud rushing noise filled his ears, making it hard for him to hear anything as he desperately tried to expel the thoughts.

The world around him disappeared until all he could do was relive the entire experience. It was even worse the second time around and he was pretty sure he was sobbing at this point but he couldn't hear a thing so he couldn't be sure.

“Beomgyu-ssi? Beomgyu-ssi!”

Someone was calling his name but he couldn't focus on it for the life of him.

“Beomgyu! Beomgyu please, you have to breathe!”

That was Yeonjun’s voice and he hated hearing him so terrified. It was that more than anything that made Beomgyu force himself to return to the present.

Now that he was aware of his surroundings once more, he was painfully aware of the tightness of his chest and the sweat dripping down his neck. And when he ended up on the floor?

“Please, Beomgyu-ssi I need you to take some deep breaths for me.” 

Beomgyu blinked, focusing in on the concerned faces of his members and a nearby nurse.

Beomgyu obeyed, forcing himself to breathe and eventually he calmed down enough to hold himself up without Yeonjun's support.

“Are you ok…?” Taehyun asked carefully.

Beomgyu nodded, unable to use his words for the time being.

“Beomgyu-ssi, how are you feeling?” The nurse asked.

“Just…” Beomgyu whispered, trying to figure out the words. “Still a bit hard to breathe…”

“Is it ok if I check his vitals? I want to make sure he's doing ok…” The nurse paused and glanced at each boy in turn. “Actually, let's check all of you guys. Come, follow me.”

Beomgyu sighed heavily, but allowed his members to help him to his feet and followed the nurse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Beomgyu sat near Soobin, staring at his sleeping face.

The four of them had been checked over and deemed healthy by the nurse. She wasn't sure if they were going to be ok to see Soobin, but the four had pleaded and begged so much that she allowed them to be in the room with him.

Beomgyu couldn't believe it when the doctor told them he was going to be ok, just a little sore and disoriented.

He'd always thought their group had some sort of guardian angel protecting them but this incident confirmed it. How else had they come out of that alive? This experience had to be worse than any interactions he'd had with sasaengs.

Beomgyu thought that had something to do with the fact that this incident was very personal.

The door to the room opened suddenly, shaking Beomgyu from his thoughts. He glanced up to see all of his old friends standing awkwardly at the entrance.

They really hadn't changed a bit.

Jaemin, Haechan, Renjun, Chenle, Jeno, and Jisung.

Yeonjun waved them in and they all quietly walked in, still crowded by the door.

No one spoke for a while, before Haechan finally did in a quiet voice.

“How is he?”

“He'll be ok.” Taehyun replied. “He lost a lot of blood but not enough to have any lasting damage.”

“Thank God…” Haechan muttered, while the others sighed in relief.

“Why did you guys even…” Beomgyu whispered suddenly.

He still hadn't taken a good look at the boys, his eyes still glued to his Hyung's face. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and finally made eye contact with them.

“Why did you guys agree to trap us like that?” He asked.

Renjun sighed heavily, as they all dropped their gazes in shame.

“His dad is the CEO of this entertainment company and… All our parents work under him. Seojun threatened to have him fire our parents if we didn't go along with his plan.” He explained.

“Not sure if that would actually happen, but…” Jaemin said. “Considering what just happened tonight… I don't doubt he would have gone through with his threat.”

“Ah, I see…” Beomgyu muttered, nodding.

He wasn't mad at them. They were all victims here and what happened had already been done so there was no point in trying to blame anyone but the clear enemy.

“Still, it's no excuse and we really shouldn't have done that.” Haechan said, remorsefully.

“Yeah, we never should've agreed to that.” Jeno voiced. 

“You're our friend and now we've lost the right to call ourselves yours.” Jisung muttered.

Beomgyu shook his head tiredly.

“No it's ok…” He said. “It's partly my fault too because I haven't kept in touch with any of you.”

“Well, we can't expect you to.” Chenle pointed out. “We know you're busy and stuff.”

“No but still.” Beomgyu insisted. “It's my responsi-”

“Ugh… Just shut up and be friends, you guys.”

Beomgyu gasped, turning back to Soobin who was now awake and smiling tiredly at everyone.

Everyone began speaking at once, making him wince slightly, which caused Yeonjun to shush everyone.

“Hyung? Are you ok?” Beomgyu whispered.

Soobin nodded, a soft smile on his face.

“And so are all of you.”

Beomgyu smiled hesitantly.

It would definitely take them all some time to get over the traumatic experience, but they would be ok. He was sure of it.

They all talked and laughed for a good few hours after that, each group sharing embarrassing stories of Beomgyu that the other side didn't know about.

Beomgyu felt like he should be annoyed but he couldn't help but watch the boys interact with a smile on his face. It was just like how he had imagined.

“No way!” Yeonjun laughed. “He really did that?!”

“Yeah he did!” Jisung said, laughing.

The conversation soon moved onto a different topic and Soobin made a suggestion that made Beomgyu's friends pause.

“Why don't you all audition to become idols too? I think you guys could pull it off and you wouldn't have to worry about Seojun either that way.”

“Hmm, I did think about that, not gonna lie.” Haechan voiced.

“He's an amazing singer already.” Jaemin said.

“Oh stop, you're probably more suited for it with your dancing.” Renjun told him.

“Renjun’s vocals are no joke though.” Jeno said.

Soobin grinned as they continued complimenting each other.

“Well, if you ever go for it, let us know.” He said.

And the boys all agreed that they would.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ever since that day, Beomgyu always made sure to make time for his friends, even if it was just a couple of hours. He made so many more friends along the way, and even if it was a little hard to balance everything sometimes, his friends remained understanding.

Things did change a bit after the incident. Like how Soobin became just the slightest bit more strict, always insisting that they let their manager know whenever they were going anywhere. They also rarely went out at night anymore and when they did they made sure someone knew where they were.

Of course, their lives didn't change as much as Seojun's had. The boy had been caught by the police and was spending his days in prison.

A few years after the incident, Beomgyu found himself taking a walk outside after letting his manager know and he came across something he never thought he would again. He'd almost forgotten that it existed but he smiled slightly when he saw the old convenience store. He peeked in despite knowing Jaemin wasn't behind the counter anymore.

He watched silently as a young girl and boy walked out of the store together. The girl turned back slightly as a familiar song began playing from the inside of the store.

_ ~We're so young! We're so freaky! We've escaped and became the real ones! We be screaming GO! GO, GO!~ _

“OMG, I love this song!” The girl said, smiling.

“Isn't it by that new group?” The boy commented.

“Mhm, it's called GO by NCT Dream.” The girl told him as they walked away.

Beomgyu grinned as he continued on his way. He'd be sure to call up his friends and tell them that people were loving their new song.

As he hummed the lyrics under his breath, he couldn't help but laugh.

All his friends were indeed, super young and freaky.

**Author's Note:**

> Hehe prolly gonna be a few more txt angst stuffs before I go back to my wips bc I never learn 😅😑🤦🏽♀️ smh  
> Anywho hope yall liked that!  
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!💕  
> Thx for reading!💕
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


End file.
